Heating and ventilating system



Dec; 17, 1957 E. J. WORLEY I 2,816,714

- mums AND vzmxm'rmc SYSTEM' 7 Filed Aug. 19, 1955 I 2 sheets-shut 1 INVENTQR.

Dec. 17, 1957 E. J. WORLEY HEATING mm vmnm'rmc SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 19, 1955 I INVENTOR. Q

2,8i6,7l4 Patented Dec. 17, 1957 HEATIN G AND VENTKLATING SYSTEM Emmett J. Worley, Mount Prospect, Ill.

Application August 19, 1955, Serial No. 529,488

8 Claims. (Cl. 237-53) This invention relates to a heating and ventilating system, and more particularly to a heating and ventilating system which incorporates features of design and construction to make it especially efiicient in the preparation of agricultural products requiring processing by heat treatment, such as the coloring, drying and curing of tobacco.

It is an important object of this invention to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a heating and ventilating system including means for selectively operating the apparatus as a gravity system during the period that the tobacco is undergoing the action of acquiring a final color and for operating the apparatus as a counterfiow system after the proper coloring is obtained and the tobacco is undergoing curing action.

It is also an object of this invention to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, means to assure an even and positive flow of air to all parts of the area containing the tobacco.

It is also an object to provide controls which permit the system to operate with a minimum amount of close supervision and which enables the processing of tobacco to be expedited without sacrificing safety and yet assure the production of an article of high quality and appearance.

Further objects of the invention are to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, an installation which is comparatively simple in its construction and arrangement, strong, durable, compact, adjustable, thoroughly efficient in its use, readily assembled, conveniently repaired when occasion requires and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

To the above ends essentially and to others which may hereinafter appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein are shown embodiments of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an enclosure, such as a tobacco barn or shed, with portions thereof removed to illustrate a heating and ventilating system installation therein in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 22 of Fig. 3 looking toward the front of the heating unit.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of a jacketed flue section, with parts thereof in section.

An embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, is shown in its application to an enclosure, such as a shed or barn for curing tobacco, having a floor 10, to oppose upright end walls 11 and 12 and opposed upright side walls connecting said walls 11 and 12 including a wall 13, and a roof which bridges the area between said walls.

The tobacco is contained in the upper area of the enclosure so as to leave a clear space between the area occupied by the tobacco and the floor of the enclosure. A furnace, having a front door 15, is mounted on the floor of the enclosure, and as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, has such interfitting relation with the edge portions of an opening provided in the end wall 11 of the enclosure as to allow the front door 15 of the furnace, and the face portion of the furnace above and below the front door to project outside the enclosure. The door 15 leads to a combustion chamber having side walls 16 and a dome-shaped ceiling 17. A coal burning retort 18 within the combustion chamber has fuel delivered thereto via a tube 19 located below the level of the floor M which tube is joined to a hopper 20 of a power-driven stoker located in outwardly projecting relation to the front of the furnace whereby the hopper may be loaded from a location outside of the building. A flue pipe 21 connected to an opening in the rear lower side wall 16 of the combustion chamber leads .to an uptake flue 22 mounted on the outside of the end wall 12 of the enclosure, to provide for the escape of the products of combustion to the atmosphere. The portion of the flue pipe 21 within the enclosure extends along a course relatively close to the floor 10 and substantially centrally of the walls extending lengthwise of the space between the end walls 11 and 12.

A sheet metal housing or hood having an upright wall 24 and a top wall 25 surrounds the combustion chamber so as to define an air compartment about the side wall and ceiling of the combustion chamber. Reference numeral 26 designates a sheet metal tubular jacket which defines an air compartment about and coextensive in length with the flue portion within the enclosure, said jacket 26 forming an extension of the combustion chamber hood and having communication with the air compartment defined by said hood through an opening in the side wall 24 of the hood in encircling relation to the portion of the fine 21.

An opening 27 in the top wall 25 of the hood which surrounds the combustion chamber is provided along opposite edges thereof extending fore and aft of the furnace with a pair of rails 28 and 29. These rails provide bearings for slidably supporting the base 30 of a powerdriven fan or blower 31 whereby the latter may be moved toward and away from a position across the opening 27 in the top wall of the hood. The blower 31 when operatively positioned across the opening 27 causes air to be driven through the hood and into the air compartment defined by the jacket 26 surrounding the flue 21. The air in the jacket 26 is discharged therefrom via a series of openings 32 which are spaced apart lengthwise of the jacket 26 and face toward the walls of the enclosure which extend lengthwise of the jacket 26. Each of the openings 32 in the flue jacket 26 is provided with a vane 33 which is preferably sheared from the material of the jacket 26 along a line defining the edge of the opening 32 associated therewith with an unsheared portion providing an integral hinge connection with the jacket so as to be bent into various positions of adjustment to suit the requirements of the installation. Each vane 33 is located to present a face in the path of the air stream travelling in said jacket which acts to deflect the air stream in a downwardly and outwardly forwardly inclined direction. These vanes accordingly act to supply turbulence to the air stream with the result that an even and positive flow of air is supplied to all parts of the area of the enclosure. This also accounts for increasing the speed with which the tobacco is processed with the use of the apparatus forming the subject of this invention.

To provide additional air discharge means from the flue jacket, a series of openings 34- are formed in the wall of 3. the jacket 26 facing the area containing the tobacco. Each of the openings 34 is provided with an adjustable closure 35 so as to regulate the area of the opening 34 as required.

Thus as heat is supplied by the combustion chamber to thehood enclosing the combustion chamber, the blower operates to drive the heated air into the area containing the tobacco via the openings 32 and the openings 34 in the flue jacket. The furnace is also provided with a thermostatically operated switch which provides for effecting energization and deenergization of the stoker in response respectively to predetermined low and high temperatures of the heated air in said furnace hood, and this control is identified generally in the drawings as nu meral 36.

Upon completion of the operation of curing the tobacco the stoker is stopped and the blower then draws in cool air to get the tobacco in order. Accordingly, the cured tobacco is in condition to be removed and the barn refilled without loss of time required for the area to be cooled off without the aid of the blower.

While the tobacco is undergoing the coloring process, it is frequently desirable to operate the furnace as a gravity system. To meet this condition, the blower 31 is removable from its position across the opening 27 in the hood and air is circulated through the compartment delined by the hood through openings 37 provided in opposite side walls of the hood near the lower limits of said hood and facing in the same direction as the openings 32 formed in opposite side walls of the flue jacket 26. Each opening 37 is framed by a cylindrical thimble 38 and the outer end of each thiinble is provided with a removable cap 39 having an opening provided with an adjustable valve or closure 49 joined to the cap 39 by a pivot 41. Thus the valved openings 37 and the opening 27 in the top wall of the hood cooperate to feed heated air by gravity to the enclosure whereby the temperature of the enclosure and the circulation of the heated air to the area containing the tobacco is maintained without the aid of the blower.

As shown in Fig. 3, an opening in the end wall 11 of the enclosure framed by an enclosing wall 42 and a door 43 hinged to the outer edge of the wall portion 42 provides a passageway into which the blower 31 may be withdrawn from the position above the furnace as shown in Fig. 3. The door 43 also affords an adjustable closure for the opening defined by the wall portion 42 for regulating the amount of air admitted to the enclosure through said opening when the blower is withdrawn from its operating position on top of the furnace.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that the present invention provides a heating and ventilating system which is especially useful in the curing of tobacco in that the operation may be performed faster and safer, and at a cost substantially below that of former systems.

What is claimed is:

1. In an installation for curing tobacco and similar products, the combination of an enclosure having a floor, side walls rising upwardly from and surrounding said floor and a roof, and defining a tobacco containing area and an open area between said tobacco containing area and the floor of the enclosure, a furnace in said open area having a combustion chamber provided with an entrance door portion protruding outwardly through an opening in one of the side walls of the enclosure, 21 flue for conducting products of combustion from said furnace to the atmosphere outside said enclosure, said flue having the portion thereof within the enclosure extending laterally from the lower portion of the rear of the furnace along a line centrally of the opposite side walls of the enclosure facing the sides of said flue portion and of such length as to bridge the distance between the furnace and the side wall of the enclosure in forward relation to said flue portion, a hood defining an air compartment about the top and sides of said furnace, a tubular jacket forming a lateral extension of said furnace hood and defining an air comipartment about and coextensive in length with said flue portion within the enclosure, an air opening in the top wall of the furnace hood, and air openings in the walls of the tubular jacket facing the side walls of the enclosure extending lengthwise of the flue, a blower connected with said air opening in the furnace hood operable to drive air through said hood and said air openings in the walls of the jacket, said blower being supported on tracks or guides for movement toward and away from a position across said air inlet opening in the furnace hood, valved air openings in the lower sidewall portions of the hood facing in the same direction as the air openings in the walls of the jacket which cooperate with the opening in the top of the furnace hood to provide for operation of the furnace as a gravity system when the blower is moved away from its position across said air inlet opening in the furnace hood, and an opening in the side wall of the enclosure providing a cleared passageway into which the blower may be withdrawn to a position away from said air inlet opening in the furnace hood.

2. In an installation as described in claim 1 wherein means associated with the air outlet openings in the walls of the tubular jacket operate to deflect the air stream passing therethrough in a downwardly and forwardly inclined direction.

3. In an installation as described in claim 1 wherein air outlet openings in the walls of the tubular jacket have vanes joined to the forward edge of said openings and each of said vanes presents a face in the path of the air stream travelling in said jacket which operates to deflect the air stream in a downwardly and forwardly inclined direction.

4. in an installation as described in claim 1 wherein the walls of the tubular jacket have valved air outlet openings facing the tobacco containing area of the enclosure.

5. in an installation as described in claim 1 wherein said air outlet openings in the walls of the tubular jacket facing the side walls of the enclosure are spaced apart uniform distances lengthwise of the jacket and the walls of the jacket have valved air outlet openings facing the tobacco containing area of the enclosure in staggered relation to location of the air outlet openings in the side walls of the jacket and at corresponding distances apart.

6. in an installation as described in claim 1 wherein the furnace is fired by power-operated fuel supply means and a thermostatically operated switch provides for effecting energization and deenergization of the power-operated fuel supply means in response respectively to predeter mined low and high temperatures of the heated air'in said furnace hood.

7. In an installation for heating and ventilating the area of an enclosure having a floor, side walls rising upwardly from and surrounding said floor and a ceiling, a furnace in said area located relatively close to the side wall of the enclosure facing the front of said furnace, a flue for conducting products of combustion from said furnace to the atmosphere outside said enclosure, said flue having the portion thereof within the enclosure extending laterally from the lower portion of the rear of said furnace along a line centrally of the opposite side walls of the enclosure facing the sides of said flue portion and of such length as to bridge the distance between the furnace and the side wall of the enclosure in forward relation to said flue portion, a hood defining an air compartment about the top and sides of said furnace, a tubular jacket forming a lateral extension of said furnace hood and defining an air compartment about and coextensive in length with said flue portion within the enclosure, an opening in the top wall of the furnace hood, air outlet openings in the walls of the tubular jacket facing the side walls of the enclosure, means associated with each of said air outlet openings in the jacket operative to deflect the air stream passing therethrough in a downwardly and outwardly forwardly inclined direction, valved air outlet openings in the jacket which face the ceiling of the enclosure, said valved air outlet openings being spaced apart lengthwise of the jacket in staggered relation to the air outlet Openings in the jacket side walls which face the side walls of the enclosure, a blower supported for guided movement toward and away from a position across the opening in the top of the furnace hood operable to drive air through said hood and said air outlet openings in the walls of the jacket, when positioned across said opening in the top of the furnace hood, an opening in the side wall of the enclosure into which the blower may be withdrawn to a position away from said air inlet opening in the furnace hood and through which opening cool air is delivered to the blower when the blower is in a position across said air inlet opening in the furnace hood when it is desired to drive cool air into said jacket, a valved opening in the sides of the furnace hood facing in the same direction as the openings in the side walls of the jacket which cooperate with the opening in the top of the furnace hood to provide for operation of the furnace as a gravity system when the blower is removed from a position across said air inlet opening in the furnace hood.

8. In an installation as described in claim 7 wherein the furnace is fired by power-operated fuel supply means and a thermostatically operated switch provides for effecting energization and deenergization of the power-operated fuel supply means in response respectively to predetermined low and high temperatures of the heated air in said furnace hood.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 463,789 Howard Nov. 24, 1891 1,388,330 Gardiner Aug. 23, 1921 1,670,263 Koonce et al. May 15, 1928 2,052,799 Rifle Sept. 1, 1936 2,464,473 Wessel Mar. 15, 1949 2,642,227 Ray June 16. 1953 

